The Rise of Connected Devices

The recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show brought home one simple fact: We will soon be hard-pressed to find consumer electronics that don’t feature a built-in Internet connection. From e-readers to tablets to Blu-ray players, we should be preparing for a connected experience. And consumers electronics makers should be preparing for a boost in sales.

Especially those of portable entertainment devices, according to In-Stat, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based research service. Sales of e-readers, navigation systems, digital music players, handheld game consoles and portable media players, which currently total some 400 million, are seen approaching 600 million units by 2013, In-Stat predicts. WiFi-enabled entertainment device shipments are seen rising to 177.3 million in 2013, the research group says, from 108.8 million in 2009.

To get a sense of our CE obsession, check out this stunning infographic from the folks at the online financial management service provider Mint.